Dylan “Dee” Cosgrove is one fourth of Australian band, The Devil’s Tattoo. Loveable, cocky as hell, but one thing is missing. He’s never been in love. He doesn’t want meaningless, he wants meaningful and all he keeps hearing is I’m sorry… Forever the good guy finishing last.

A year after their first tour, The Devil’s Tattoo are making it big in LA recording their next album. For Dee, all he wants is to stand on stage and play. After all, music is his first love. He could care less about the money and the fakery that comes with the LA scene and the big executive types with dollar signs in their eyes. But in walks the woman who is about to obliterate him and she’s one of them. So, what’s a guy to do when one look is all it takes?

Jessie Ware is an intern at Galaxy Records, New York. When she’s asked to go to LA to help her boss schmooze with the latest big thing to come out of Australia, The Devil’s Tattoo, it’s her chance to get her foot firmly wedged into the door. If she can pull this off, then there could be a permanent job in it. But she didn’t count on one thing. Dee Cosgrove and his cocky Australian attitude. He makes her question everything without even trying and it might just push her over the edge… if she doesn’t give her heart to him first.

The more Dee gets to know Jessie, the harder he falls and he’d walk over fire and back to win her over. That’s if she doesn’t deliver him straight into the ranks of the scarred and broken first.

The Fire Walker is a companion novel to The Devil’s Tattoo. It has a dose of drama, some colourful language, a HEA and some sex scenes.
It’s recommended for readers 18 and up.

Nicole R. Taylor is a Paranormal, Urban Fantasy and Contemporary Romance author from country Victoria, Australia.

Previously, she has written for various small street press music and entertainment publications as a gig and album reviewer before publishing her first Urban Fantasy novel in early 2013.

When she isn’t writing, Nicole likes to spend time curled up with a good book and her 3-year-old rescue cat, Burger. She gets itchy feet more often than not and has lived in three countries and travelled to three times as many.

Sitting in the back of the town car that was taking us over to the restaurant, Zoe crammed in next to me and Frank, squashing me in the middle.

“What, not riding with lover boy?” I asked with a small smile.

“Nope.” She patted me on the knee as Frank typed a message into his phone. “Are you really okay, Dee?”

“Yes,” I snorted as the car pulled out into traffic.

“Dee, seriously.” Frank elbowed me sharply.

“Is this an intervention? Because you need something to intervene,” I said sarcastically, eying the driver in the rearview mirror, but his eyes were fixed on the road.

“C’mon.” Zoe smiled kindly, threading her arm through mine. “I haven’t seen you this down before. Ever.”

“What do you want me to say, Zo? I don’t know. Here’s me,” I held out a hand, “and here’s my wits end.” I clapped both together.

“He’s got the hots for a girl, Will style,” Frank said and I remembered our short convo the night before at the studio. The ‘I saw her first’ shenanigans.

“So, what are you gunna do about it?” Zoe asked, pulling my hands down. She knew this already from our awkward deep and meaningful at the studio.

“Tonight?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah.”

“Talking is a good start,” I huffed. I’d already planned it.

“Try not to be a smart ass,” Frank suggested.

I scoffed. “Thanks for the advice, mate.”

He grinned stupidly at me as the car pulled out front of the restaurant. “Any time.”

As he got out, Zoe lent into me and whispered, “Never take advice from a drummer.” Despite myself, I let out a laugh and she slapped me on the chest. “That’s my Dee.”

As we stood on the footpath and the others joined us, she let me go and went over to Will. As my eyes followed my best friend, they kept going and latched straight onto the woman I’d seen at the studio last night. The woman whose name hadn’t left my head. Jessie. She was standing less than three feet away and she was even more stunning close up. Tall, delicate, almond skin, dark blonde hair that she’d tied up into a messy do at the nape of her neck. She was just as underdressed as I was. Tight back jeans and a slouchy t-shirt, but she had on a black blazer that hugged her waist and stilettos on her feet made her almost as tall as me. I couldn’t have looked away even if I wanted to. There was something about her that just made my eyes latch onto her and not want to let go and I was determined to find out what it was.

She looked up as if she sensed I was staring at her and her eyes met mine and they were just as captivating as the night before. And then she smiled and I knew I was a goner.

“Hey, I’m Jessie,” she said, her accent hitting me like a ton of bricks.

“Hey,” I said, almost choking on that one simple word. She was there with her pretty doe eyes and she split my head in half. Suddenly, I didn’t know what to say and I was reduced to a blubbering idiot.

“What’s your name?” she asked. “I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet yesterday.”

“Dee,” I declared a little too abruptly.

“C’mon, that’s not your real name.” She smiled crookedly, as if she knew the effect she had on me.

“Yes it is,” I scoffed. “D for dangerous. E for enigmatic and E for-“

“Egotistical?”

Damn. “I’ve been called vain, but never egotistical.” I gave her a wink for good measure.

She rolled her pretty brown eyes and shook her head. The other label rep, the one I knew was called Georgie, came out of the restaurant and ushered us in and I lost my chance to say anything else. Probably a good thing because my foot was already in it.